Retired dentist dies after being stabbed by ex-patient

A retired dentist who was stabbed by a former patient has died from his injures according to the Guangzhou hospital treating him, in the latest example of the dangers frontline medical workers face on the mainland.

Chen Zhongwei, a 60-year-old former administration director of the department of stomatology at the Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital in the capital, succumbed to his injuries following nearly two days of emergency treatment.

The tragedy sparked a public outcry, with hundreds gathering at the city’s Hero Square to mourn him on Saturday night. Doctors around the nations expressed their sympathies on the Chinese Medical Doctor’s Liaison website. They blamed the mainland’s health care system for turning frontline medical staff into the scapegoats of a broken system.

Chen was attacked at his home on Thursday and suffered massive blood loss from multiple stabs to his head, chest, abdomen, and arms, according to police in Yuexiu district. The assailant then jumped from Chen’s balcony, killing himself, it said. The hospital said the attacker was a man who received dental surgery from Chen 25 years ago and became distraught when he recently discovered his teeth were discoloured. He had a history of mental illness, according to the hospital.

More than 100 doctors attended the hospital’s memorial ceremony, including several officials from the provincial government and medical authorities.